Love All
by Ember Nickel
Summary: Entries for Men's Tennis (Weasley family fic) in the Olympics competition on HPFC. Chapter 1: Kneazles and Crups, prompt "raining."
1. Kneazles and Crups

**Kneazles and Crups**

"Mum?"

"Mum's busy," said Ron Weasley, as his daughter squinted down at her book. "Can I help you?"

"Maybe," she said, riffling through to the page where she had stopped reading. "I don't understand this book. But it's a Muggle book, so maybe you wouldn't either."

"Hey, I can understand Muggle books! What's going on?"

"This chapter," she said, handing it over. "It said it was raining cats and dogs. But it's a book without any magic so far. Do they really think dogs and cats fall from the sky when it rains?"

Ron quickly scanned the paragraph in question. "It's just a saying. It doesn't actually mean there are dogs and cats-it's just a way of saying it was raining really hard."

"Why don't they say "it was raining really hard"?"

"Maybe because they think that would be boring."

"Why do they even need to talk about the rain?"

"Well-it's a story book, right? Not non-fiction?"

"No, it's a story."

"Maybe that's important to the plot. That the characters would have gone outside and done something otherwise, but they can't because it's raining. Why don't you keep reading and find out?"

"No one's doing anything. They're just sitting around and talking."

"Hmm. Maybe-maybe the writer just wants to make people think about rain. Maybe it's supposed to show that the characters are sad."

"If the characters are sad, how come she doesn't say that? Or have them crying?"

"Maybe she thinks that's boring."

"So she just talks about the weather instead? That seems silly."

Ron lowered his voice. "Don't tell your mum, but I think it's silly too."

"Are there cats and dogs in that book?" Hugo interrupted. "I want to read it too."

"You can read it when I'm done," said Rose, "and no, no pets."

"How come she always gets to read books first?"

"Because she reads them faster," said Ron, "that way there's less time watiing."

"Why were you talking about animals?"

"Because apparently when it rains really hard it rains cats and dogs."

"Cats and dogs aren't watery, though. It should be raining Kelpies and Kappas."

Ron snorted. "This is a Muggle book."

"Fish and whales, then."

"Wizards never talk about raining Kneazles and Crups," said Rose. "Muggles are just silly."

"There are silly wizard books too," said Ron.

"Well, some are silly on _purpose_. I mean _stupid_ books."

"Unfortunately, there are stupid wizard books too."

"But aren't there Muggle books with magic in them?" Hugo pressed on. "People just guessing about wizards?"

"Yeah," said Rose, "that's what I thought took. But this isn't even one of those. Just dumb people."

"We should write a story. We can have lots of things coming down in the rain. Sea serpents and grindylows!"

"Why would you want to write about sea serpents falling from the sky? They'd destroy everything."

"Naw, they wouldn't, they'd just not have any water so they'd die. Or, some Aurors or somebody could come to the rescue and kill 'em."

"Why would Aurors have to come kill a sea serpent?"

"Well, whoever you'd get."

"Nobody would come to kill a sea serpent because sea serpents don't live on land. They live in the _sea_. That's where they get the name."

"That's why it would be a _story_."

"Okay, well, you can go write it, I'm reading this book now."

"I can't write it, Mum's in using the computer."

"You should write with a quill."

"Quills are slow. And messy."

"You're going to have to use quills at Hogwarts," said Ron.

"Yeah, and that's dumb. Rose, come on, let's work together on it. You come up with good ideas."

"Yeah, because _you_ get bored halfway through and I have to finish by myself," Rose shot back.

"You don't _have_ to do anything."

"That's enough, you two," Ron cut in. "Rose, are you going to keep reading your book?"

"Okay," she shrugged, trotting off to her room. Hugo, in spite of himself, reached for a quill, parchment, and several inkwells, deciding that a proper introduction to the dangerous Land Serpents required illustrations as well as text.

Barely ten minutes later, he was dipping his quill (still dripping with black ink) into the blue well, hoping to add further splashes of raindrops, and so absorbed in this process that he didn't notice Rose creeping past him. "Dad?"

"Yes, Rose?"

"What's it mean when it's snowing fit to beat the band?"


	2. Girls' Hair and Git Hufflepuffs

**Girls' Hair and Git Hufflepuffs**

"Nah nah nah nah-nah!"

A quiet third-year did a double-take as Hugo Weasley crowed to himself in the hallways. Blushing, he quickly passed her by and made his way to the next intersection, rushing onto a flight of stairs a moment before it swiveled around and began making its way towards Gryffindor Tower.

"Lily!" he called. "Hey, Lily!"

His cousin turned, swinging her book bag onto her shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Roxanne," he grinned in a mix of pride and amusement, "has a _boyfriend_."

Lily's reaction was not what he'd hoped for. Indeed, it was hardly a reaction at all; she nodded, then carefully made her way over to the edge of the stairs so as to avoid a rude surprise at the top.

"Rox_anne_!" he repeated, but she just shrugged and made her way to the dorm. Hugo, having nowhere else to go without looking silly, made his way in behind her; Lily climbed to her room while he slumped into a chair in the common room.

It wasn't fair, he thought. As one of the youngest cousins, he barely had anyone else to tease. Just Roxanne-how was she going to have _time_ for going to Hogsmeade, between classes and Quidditch? He'd have long since graduated by the time the Scamanders were old enough to mock.

Scowling, he made a hurried attempt at his Care of Magical Creatures assignment. But he kept getting distracted, doodling on the corners of his parchment. Never in his books. Not because he particularly respected his books-indeed, his parents' treatment of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" had instilled in him a very casual attitude towards defacement. But he was using one of Uncle George's spare quills, and the sketch of a Norwegian Ridgeback was liable to begin fuming and singeing the pages if left unattended too long.

By the time he had at last finished that assignment, Roxanne had made her way upstairs as well. "Wotcher!" he grinned.

She nodded. "Hey."

"Congratulations!"

"On what?" she lit up. _Typical Roxanne, assuming she's won some kind of prize._

"Finding a Hufflepuff to snog."

She blushed. "Shut up."

"I can't shut up! Who else am I going to make fun of?"

She rolled her eyes. "How about the professors who don't even understand the readings they're assigning?"

"What are you-" He glanced at her heavy textbook; there seemed to be blue gems sewn into the binding. "You were reading that last week."

"Yes, because it got _assigned_ last week, I thought I'd get ahead."

"And now you've forgotten it and have to catch up. Why don't you pace yourself?"

"Why don't you get a life?"

"I have a life! My name's Hugo Weasley, you might have heard of me."

Roxanne gently bookmarked her textbook, with a bookmark well worn from eight NEWT classes and numerous rereadings of _Beating the Bludgers. _Setting the book next to her, she repeated "Weasley" vaguely.

"Yeah," Hugo pressed on with a smile. "One of the famous Weasleys-you know. Everyone's heard of the Weasleys. Especially the little one, she's beautiful but she only has eyes for some Hufflepuff git."

Roxanne paused, narrowing her eyes. "I don't know whether I should thank you or hex you."

Hugo grabbed his wand, pretending to be on guard. "Think fast."

"Think I'll split the difference and leave you alone," she sighed, grabbing her textbook and heading for the stairs.

"Hey, wait. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"You know I'm not really-there's nothing wrong, Joey looks sweet, you should totally go out with him."

"I'm _fine_!" she repeated unconvincingly. "...and so is Joey."

"Of course he is."

She paused on the lowest step, glared at him, then glared at her book, then seemed to decide a moment glaring was a moment wasted and walked across the common room again, taking her seat by the fireplace with a very pronounced huff and purposefully burying her nose in the pages. Hugo rolled his eyes, and began reading through his Potions textbook.

When she had finished, she looked up, and quickly met his eyes (he could only focus on Felix Felicis for so long at a time), then scurried across the room as if evading a Bludger. "Don't tell anyone about this, okay?"

"Sure," he said, setting his book down.

"I'm...scared."

"You?" he blurted, then saw her face stiffen. That couldn't have been easy for her to admit. "I mean, I'm sure everything will be fine."

"J...Joey's parents are Muggles."

"So what? Clearly you don't care."

"Obviously I don't! It's just-what if-what if he's jealous of me?"

"Why would he be jealous of you? I mean," he added, before she could protest about her grades or Quidditch skill or anything she'd worked for, "don't get me wrong, your hair is cute, but I think it'd be a little...long...for a bloke."

She blushed, and he knew he'd made a start. "Just-being used to magic-having my whole family be into it-everything. I guess I sort of take it for granted."

"You don't take it for granted! You know how hard it is for Squibs, with Molly, you know-Fred-Uncle Fred-died in the war, our parents weren't that well-off growing up. it's not like a bed of roses over here."

"Exactly. Yeah."

Hugo blinked-sometimes he wondered how Roxanne had avoided Ravenclaw, but every once in a while she'd be enough of a total idiot to remind him. That was one of those times. "So what in the world are you scared about?"

"No one _talks_ about it. Your parents, mine, Harry and Ginny even. They might as well always have been lucky. I mean I guess Harry sort of was, but not really-and I don't _want_ them to, it's just, what if Joey-"

"This is Joey from the Quidditch team, right?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I've ever heard him say more than five words that aren't about Quidditch. Has he _ever_ seemed worried about who your family is?"

"Well-no."

"Of course he hasn't, he's in _looove_ with you. I think you're the scared one."

"What if I am, okay? What if I don't like it? What if I wish I could understand my parents, instead of always going upstairs and listening while my dad gets upset? What if I'm not brave enough?"

"Is this about Fred? Your Fred, I mean?"

"I-I don't know. But he never owls anymore, if _he_ was a Gryffindor and all he did was run away-what am I?"

"You're the girl who reads ahead." He nodded at her book. "And, as Lily would tell you if she were here, the mental Quidditch captain. And you have cute hair." He paused. "For a girl."

"I'm glad you care so much about girls' hair."

"And even if you weren't any of those things, you know your parents would love you either way."

"I don't know that," she whispered.

How could she not know that? "Of course they would."

"Did they? Did-do-they love Fred for whoever he is? Or just because they like the name?"

"They-"

"Don't answer, because _you don't know_."

"Not all the answers are in books."

"Does your mum believe that?"

"Sometimes yes. And sometimes no. And she loves me either way, I know that. Even if we disagree."

"But your mum's brilliant, my dad-"

"Your dad is brilliant too. Maybe you take _him_ for granted."

"What's brilliant about my dad? He's ridiculous."

"For starters," Hugo picked up his parchment, which sent up sparks as he waved it, "magic quills and everything he designs. Second, he has a way-a way of being funny, not just for its own sake, but sometimes to lighten things up when you really need it. I don't know, I try to learn from him."

"Learn how to make quills?"

Hugo shook his head-did she really not see. "Never mind."

"Never mind what?"

"Just-forget about it. Listen, don't worry about Joey. Take him to Hogsmeade. It'll be good for you to have a boyfriend in another house, I think-bravery isn't everything. Loyalty matters too."

Roxanne nodded. "Trust me. I know."

"Look, if this is about Fred? He'll come back. I know it."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do. And do you know why?"

"B-because you're a _Seer_?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"Because his little sister has a boyfriend. And although I try very hard, I think he's going to be even better about teasing you than I am."

Roxanne blushed. "Good to know."


End file.
